The division of quarterback turmoil! There’s so much to watch here, it becomes a hard division to call for the wrong reasons. One elite, one upgrade, one downgrade and one controversy looming – that’s the shape of the guys under centre in this division.


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He’d barely been appointed 10 minutes when Josh McDaniels managed to alienate Jay Cutler to the tune of a deal to the Bears. I’m sure it was a more deep-rooted issue than that, but true or not, that’s the image the new coach has. Kyle Orton certainly isn’t an upgrade and QB, but he’s capable and wasn’t really given a good chance in Chicago. With a coach that beleives in him, and a system he can get behind he could be a surprise to many people this season.
However, with new systems on offense and defense and a lot of roster changes look like there could be a lot of settling in issues this season. That’s not to say the Broncos are set for success… they may be, but it’d be a braver man than me who’d say so today.

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The Chiefs seem to have got away with very little bashing from most quarters, despite a disastrous season iin 2008. Obviously the Lions helped them out in taking a lot of attention, as did the nearby Rams.
Their big signing is Matt Cassell, who comes in fresh from his great season in New England. He’s still a risk, but the deal – which included Mike Vrabel – looks extremely good on paper. They’ve made a number of depth signings, but haven’t changed too much overall, looking to build on the team that in 2008 was improving all season. It’s worth noting that it was a young team last term – the youngest average age in the NFL – as their mammouth draft from 2008 bedded in and the team grew into its systems.
The comparative weakness of the division means they can’t be ruled out for a good run.

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Oakland continue to stumble on, but aren’t a team I’m particularly familiar with. As with the Chiefs and Bronces, there is potential QB controversy here with JaMarcus Russell facing a make or break season. No-one would be surprised to see Jeff Garcia stepping up at some point, in fact some would say it’s a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’. I think that’s probably a but harsh, but no-one is ever surprised to see Jeff Garcia pop up as a starter.
Greg Ellis comes in a DE, but at 33 it remains to see if he can make a huge difference to a defensive unit that is pretty terrible. Nnamdi Asomugha at corner is probably the best CB in the league, but he’s pretty much alone back there.

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Graham and I had the privilige to see the Chargers last year at Wembley, and whilst we spent most of the time jeering them, they’re a good unit and Rivers is an elite quarterback. LDT was also amazing to watch: the way he made space and ran. He 30 now, and that’s traditionaly a watershed time for running backs, but with Sproles to share the load with there’s no good reason to assume that he can’t be the threat we know him to be.
This is a strong unit overall, and one that can’t be counted out. Even at 4-4 last year, no-one reckoned them as an easy game – their off-season victory against the Colts proved that. There are questions about the team, but none big enough to think they won’t take the division again.

Summary
The AFC West is matched against the AFC North and NFC East, two strong divisions that could have some tough matchups.
I am pretty close to putting the Chiefs above the Broncos, but not quite. I’ll look at it again in 4 weeks or so, as I have them pretty close for now. Oakland to prop up the division, and I can’t see anyone touching the Chargers

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